Barbara Richie Pond: SB2 about religious freedom

Barbara Fedders’ March 11 Point of View “The dressed-up bigotry of SB2” was unconvincing and deceptive. Attacking Senate Bill 2, she misquoted James Madison.

Fedders indicated Madison said, “The civil rights of none shall be abridged on account of religious belief.” Madison didn’t say it that way. On June 8, 1789, Madison made his first draft of the First Amendment. He said, “The civil rights of none shall be abridged on account of religious belief or worship, nor shall any national religion be established, nor shall the full and equal rights of conscience be in any manner, or on any pretext, infringed.”

SB2 guarantees full and equal rights of conscience, grounded in sincere convictions, in the free exercise of one’s religion. SB2 is not about same-sex marriage legality, child humiliation, preventing same-sex marriages, homophobia, a side of North Carolina history, who loves whom or residents’ legal fees. It has no “obvious illegality.”

SB2 is about protecting the religious liberty rights of those with sincere convictions, dictated by conscience. Labeling SB2 a same-sex civil-rights bill is “undressed” bigotry.

Voting against SB2 is voting against religious freedom and the dictates of conscience.

This story was originally published March 17, 2015 at 1:15 PM with the headline "Barbara Richie Pond: SB2 about religious freedom."